Future Professional and Rochester Native Jordan Allen

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Get excited, Rochester.

2012 saw former Aquinas, Empire United, and FC Buffalo player Krystian Witkowski sign with Philadelphia Union, but the Polish-American didn’t make a single appearance for the MLS club before being released.  Another Aquinas and Empire United product could eclipse that accomplishment in 2013.  Jordan Allen is set to showcase himself as the most talented soccer player born in the Rochester area.

Krystian Witkowski was only the seventh player from a Rochester area high school to sign with MLS.  Brian Bliss, Dema Kovalenko, Aleksey Korol, Yuri Lavrinenko, Jamil Walker, and Ian Pilarski are the other players that have been signed by MLS clubs.  However, Witkowski didn’t seen the field in MLS or the Reserve League.  The Union had 10 Reserve League fixtures in 2012 and Witkowski failed to make an appearance even once.  By that standard, Allen has actually accomplished more than his fellow Rochesterian before young Jordan’s professional career has even begun.

The 17 year old Jordan Allen has been training with Real Salt Lake while playing for their u-16 and u-18 Academy sides the past year.  Allen has even featured in a number of Real Salt Lake’s Reserve League matches as an Academy player alongside and against professionals.

National Recognition
Allen has been exceeding expectations at every step in his development.  In the 2011-2012 Academy season, Jordan was the only ’95 on a team of very talented ’94s and ’93s at Real Salt Lake’s Academy.  Allen has even earned plaudits for his performances at multiple positions for youth national teams.  Jordan has twice been named the Development Academy’s national player of the week and is firmly on the national radar.

On February 23, 2011, U.S. Soccer Development Academy named Jordan Allen the top performer across both age divisions nationally for Week 22.  The release stated that, “Jordan Allen of the Real Salt Lake AZ U-15/16 team played up on the older U-17/18 team for 60 minutes as it defeated Pateadores 5-0 on Saturday. Throughout the 2011-12 season, Allen has started all 14 fixtures for the club with 10 appearances coming from the U-17/18 age group. Allen has three goals this season.”

Then on April 16, the Development Academy league named Allen the Player of the Week again, this time for his performance in Week 29.  ”Jordan Allen has regularly played up with Real Salt Lake AZ’s U-17/18 team, and he was a part of two more victories this past weekend. He started and played 75 minutes during Real Salt Lake’s 3-0 win against the San Diego Surf on Saturday, then came on as a halftime substitute to help RSL earn a 4-1 win against Nomads SC on Sunday. Allen now has 13 appearances with the U-17/18 team… Allen played the full 90 minutes during Tuesday’s RSL Reserve League match against FC Dallas. He is the first repeat Player of the Week honoree this season.”

Allen was named the u16 Western Conference Player of the Year for the Development Academy for his outstanding play in both the u-15/16 and the u-17/18 age divisions.

The youth soccer experts over at Top Drawer Soccer have ranked Jordan Allen #4 nationally for his graduation year, 2013.  Allen sits behind only Diego Fagundez, Zach Pfeffer, and Jack McBean, which makes Allen the best non-professional in his year as Fagundez is signed with the New England Revolution, Pfeffer with the Philadelphia Union, and McBean with the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Can Allen be a Homegrown Player?
Because MLS rules are subject to change and interpretation at any point, this is a difficult question to answer.  The Homegrown Player initiative allows MLS clubs to sign rising stars from their Academy teams without going through a draft or lottery process.  Allen certainly has met the surface requirements of the Homegrown Rule; he’s played in an MLS academy for a year.

There is however a snag in the details that HG players cannot play for youth national teams before joining an MLS academy.  Allen was a member of the u-17 Residency Program in Bradenton, Florida, and was on the team that won the Concacaf u17 championship in February 2011, months before joining RSL’s Casa Grande Academy.  

However, MLS is known to shift the murky details of its rules to accommodate teams’ wishes in the past.  Specific to the Homegrown Rule, MLS has allowed the Portland Timbers to sign Brent Richards despite not spending the full year required in their development system and Los Angeles Galaxy to sign Jose Villarreal even though the young forward played for the Pateadores academy team which is not affiliated with the MLS team.

How Allen Projects in the Future
For me, Jordan Allen sounds a lot like another youth sensation in MLS circles; Andy Najar. The Honduran D.C. United Academy graduate played the beginning of his career as a right midfielder.  When he returned from national team duty at the Olympics, head coach Ben Olsen transitioned Najar to the right back position.  This allows Najar to make lung busting overlapping runs (like Tottenham’s Kyle Walker or an early Gareth Bale) while still keeping the team solid in the back.

That transition is precisely the course u-18 coach Javier Perez instructed as he moved Allen to right back for the Lisbon International Tournament in May.  American soccer guru Ives Galarcep said of Najar (I can’t find the exact quote) that he could either be a great winger for MLS or a European quality right back.  Having spoken to people who haven seen Jordan Allen play, that’s the impression I get of the youngster.  His dynamism and two-footed dribbling ability make him a constant threat to the opposition going forward, but his well trained soccer brain make him able to adjust his position in defense while his athleticism allow to track back and catch up with any opposing forward.

2013 will be a big year for Jordan Allen.  He has a chance to improve his already large reputation nationally while collecting accolades for his club play and impressing with the u-18 national team.  Allen has committed to the University of Virginia for college, but don’t be surprised if Real Salt Lake puts an offer on the table before the college season starts.  It is not a matter of if, but rather, when Jordan Allen turns pro.  Rochester may have to wait a few years to still to see the best prospect to come out of their city sign a professional contract after college.

Get excited Rochester, this kid is the real deal.

Young Players Benefit from No Relegation in MLS

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Philadelphia Union’s young striker Jack McInerney saw a significant increase in playing time as the season wound down.  While this could also be attributable to head coach John Hackworth putting more faith in the youngster or injuries to his teammates above him in the pecking order, I see his playing time as a result of not having promotion or relegation in MLS.

In the 12 games since Philadelphia lost 2-0 to Montreal on August 4, Jack McInerney has been one of the most influential players for the Union.  With that loss in Montreal, Philadelphia’s playoff probability never rose to 5% according to Sports Club Stats.  Head coach John Hackworth knew the team had little more than pride to play for, and opted to bleed in young talent.  Jack Mack starter 10 of 12 games and played a total of 906 minutes from 1080 possible.  The young striker repaid his manager’s faith by scoring 4 goals and an assist in a four game stretch that included two man of the match performances.

When the New England Revolution lost to Sporting Kansas City 1-0 on August 1, their playoff chances never rose above 2%.  Since September, when the Revolution’s playoff hopes hung on a negligible decimal place,  Diego Fagundez played 520 out of 720 possible minutes on the final 8 games of the season.  Prior to that, the young Uruguayan youth international had only clocked 350 minutes in the league out of the 12 matches he featured in the first 6 months of the season.

17 year old Homegrown Player signing, Marco Delgado made his debut for Chivas USA during a 4-0 loss to Vancouver after the team had already been eliminated from playoff contention.  You could argue that Delgado simply came on in a game that was a lost cause, but there were other games earlier in the season (namely 6 other times the team was losing by at least 3 goals after Delgado signed) in which they could have played the youngster and didn’t.  It was only after the team had their postseason hopes dashed that the U.S. u18 midfielder suited up for his club.

When the Impact’s mathematical chances of making the playoffs were barely above 1%, Jesse Marsch decided to play Karl Ouimette.  The young Homegrown signing played 64 minutes against Houston and featured late in a win against San Jose.  The first appearance, coming in a 3-0 loss, was facilitated by the fact that Montreal’s playoff hopes were far-fetched at best.

Only after the Timbers were all but eliminated from the postseason, Interim Head Coach Gavin Wilkinson elected to start Homegrown signing Brent Richards for two matches against Chivas USA and against FC Dallas.

All of these young players saw more time in first team matches towards the end of the 2012 MLS season.  While many factors could have contributed to the coaches’ decisions to play their youngsters, such as the athlete’s personal development or injuries to the first choice options, coaches are more likely to give minutes to young players because of lame duck games in MLS.  At the end of seasons in other leagues, teams have to perform in order to avoid relegation.  Because there is no relegation in MLS, coaches are more willing to aid the development of their young players by giving them chances with the first team in late season league matches.

InfoSport Combine Participants WNY Might Know

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This week is the 13th annual InfoSport Combine near Bradenton, Florida.  The combine allows aspiring players the opportunity to impress coaches and scouts from 3 USL-Pro teams, 4 NASL teams, 1 PDL team, and 6 MLS teams.  If players perform well during the course of the 3-day combine, they could earn invites to a pre-season camp or even a professional contract.  One of the coaches in attendance is Jesse Myers, head coach of the Rochester Rhinos.  Several of the players attempting to make their dream a reality at the combine have connections to Western New York.

Lubo Kocic is probably the most well-known player on this list.  The 27 year old standout for the Rochester Lancers professional indoor soccer team last year also played in the midfield for the San Antonio Scorpions for the second part of the summer.  Kocic found his way to the Lancers through a professional combine and has since earned caps on the U.S. futsal national team.  Kocic is also one of a handful of former professionals at the combine, while most players are closer to college age.

David Wright is one such player hoping to make the jump to a professional team this summer.  A former student of Aquinas Institute, the Victor High School graduate played two full seasons with Empire United in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy as a wide midfielder.

Mike Reidy is a well-known player for fans of FC Buffalo.  The Colgate senior scored 7 goals within the Patriot League in 2012 and ranks 10th in school history for points.  Reidy is a quick, powerful midfielder and was FC Buffalo’s best performer when I saw the team play.

Josh Faga is another FC Buffalo player participating in the combine.  The fullback/midfielder was a workhorse for the NPSL side during the last two seasons.

George Tor may soon join the ranks of FC Buffalo, after seeming to impress at an open tryout.  The Medaille senior finished his collegiate career with 35 goals in the last two seasons for the D3 school.

Donavan Wilson is a senior forward from Maple, Ontario, who plays at Roberts Wesleyan College.  This past year Wilson scored 7 goals and added 3 assists in 16 games.

Jesus Paesch is a 26 year old defender/defensive midfielder from Aruba.  He was a stalwart in defense for Roberts Wesleyan during his senior season in 2011.

Jordan Andrecolich played for Daemen College and the Chili, NY native has participated in the InfoSport Combine in years past with increasingly positive reviews.

Ambrose Boway was born in Liberia but attended Thomas Jefferson High School and Monroe Community College.  The versatile player can play on the outside of midfield or defense.

For more information on the InfoSport Combine, visit http://www.infosportinc.com/

Looking Forward to 2013 with the Rhinos

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Perhaps I was too upset after Rochester’s semifinal exit on penalties at the hands of Charleston or just too occupied by my fall semester in college; I never wrote a full review of the Rhinos’ 2012 season.

Here is a brief summary of what I should have said at the end of August followed by some news for the upcoming campaign.

J.C. Banks had an amazing season and was set to train with an MLS club before suffering a frustrating ACL injury.  Danny Earls was similarly effective when playing on the wings.  Kristian Nicht was a beast of a goalkeeper for the Rhinos and routinely made acrobatic saves throughout the season.  Central defense was another strong position for the Rhinos when a healthy George Kyriazis partnered captain Troy Roberts.  Lucas Fernandez grew into his role at right back but the left side of defense was up for grabs the whole season.  Central midfield and forward were similarly open doors in 2012.  The coaches failed to find a suitable partner for Tyler Rosenlund in the center of the field and Tam McManus could not combine consistently with any of the four other forwards who played for the team.  Kendell McFayden was somewhat of a raw talent when the Rhinos signed him from FC Buffalo but he looks set to continue his development in 2013.

The Rhinos will be joined in USL-Pro by two expansion sides for the upcoming season so their travels could include trips to both Phoenix FC and VSI Tampa Bay in 2013.  We’ll soon find out whether or not Rochester has to fly to Phoenix, Los Angeles, or Antigua this year.  The schedule for 2012′s season was released on Wednesday, January 11 last year and 2011′s on Friday, January 14 of that year, so we can expect this year’s fixture list should be released in the next week.

Roster News for 2013
Fans will be pleased to know the spine of the team will remain in Rochester for the summer of 2013.  Kristian Nicht, Troy Roberts, Danny Earls, Tyler Rosenlund, Tam McManus, and Kendell McFayden are all returning to Sahlen’s Stadium.

The team has exercised the option on all available players and have reached a new contract with defender Tyler Bellamy, which means the current off-season roster is the following:

Goalkeepers:
Kristian Nicht, native of Germany, who had a breakout year with the Rhinos and whose strong performances in goal earned him USL-Pro Goalkeeper of the Year in 2012
Brandon Miller, a rookie backup from UNC Wilmington.

Defenders:
Troy Roberts, team captain who has almost become the face of the franchise in the back over the last three seasons.
Lucas Fernandez, the Argentine born right back who developed into a starter in 2012.
Kyle Manscuk, a Rochester native son (and Tottenham fan) who also plays for the indoor team Rochester Lancers.
Tyler Bellamy, the 24 year old New Jersey native who has played at left back and center back for the team since 2010.

Midfielders:
Tyler Rosenlund, the 2011 MVP draws praise from coaches for his work ethic and his 76 starts in three seasons show how crucial he has been to the team’s success over the years.
Danny Earls, the left footed winger from Ireland was arguably the best performing Rhino of the 2012 season scoring praise from home fans as well as the USL national office.

Forwards:
Tam McManus, while the 5’7″ Scotsman didn’t score as many goals as the coaches, fans, or player himself may have wanted in 2012, he put in enough effort off the ball to earn a couple first team all-league votes from other coaches.
Kendell McFayden, the speedy forward is a bit of a favorite of mine. I had the mixed pleasure of seeing him play for FC Buffalo before he was signed by the Rhinos, in a match against AFC Cleveland in which he played both sweeper and central forward in a front 3.  The Buffalo native grew from his utility role (as the best player on the field) at Buffalo to a more tactically aware striker with Rochester.

A source close to the organization has also told me there are 3 or 4 outside signings for the team awaiting league and federation approval.  This claim is corroborated by USL’s Communication Director on Twitter, who says the Rhinos have already come to terms with two exciting attacking players.

Rochester Championship Memory Lane
If this news isn’t enough to hold you Rhinos’ faithful over until the season starts in April, take a stroll down memory lane.  The team’s organization has posted a poll on their Facebook page asking fans to choose their favorite Rhinos’ Championship Season.  The options are the 1998 A-League Title, 1999′s historic U.S. Open Cup victory, and the 2000 and 2001 A-League Championships.

1998 saw the Rhinos set an attendance record for the A-League, drawing 11,498 fans per game, while scoring 72 goals and allowing just 15, both a league best that season.  Rochester’s 23 wins from 28 games earned them an astounding 70 points en route to the Championship win over Minnesota.  The Rhinos boasted the Goalkeeper, Coach, and Defender of the Year in Pat Onstad, Pat Ercoli, and Scott Schweitzer respectively.  The team also grabbed 5 of the 11 spots in the First Team All-League with Darren Tilley, Yari Allnutt, and Craig Demmin joining Onstad and Schweitzer.

What can I say about the 1999 U.S. Open Cup run that hasn’t already been said?  The Rhinos remain the only team outside MLS to hoist the trophy since the inception of that league.  In the process Rochester defeated three MLS teams, another feat that has yet to been replicated by any non-MLS team.

The 2000 season saw the emergence of Scott Vallow as the league’s best goalkeeper.  He was joined in the First Team All-League by Scott Schweitzer, Craig Demmin, and Yuri Allnutt.  Rochester eased to a 3-1 victory against Minnesota in the championship match in front of 14,276 at Frontier Field after a difficult playoff run.

Scott Schweitzer and Stoian Mladenov earned First Team All-League honors in 2001 as the Rhinos won their third A-League title.  Rochester was able to claim the championship despite losing Yari Allnutt, Craig Demmin, and Onandi Lowe to MLS transfers.  The Rhinos beat the Hershey Wildcats 2-0 in the final to hoist their last league title until 2010, ending one of the most impressive runs in American club soccer history.

David Litterer’s archive site was used as a reference for historical information in this post.

Make sure you vote for your favorite championship season on http://www.facebook.com/rochesterrhinos and stay tuned to Rhinos news and analysis on this blog.

2013 Wishlist for Lower Division Soccer

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In the spirit of other 2013 wishlists (see here for Liga MX, here for U.S. Soccer, and here for Canada), I’ve decided to compile a little list of my own for lower division soccer.  Let me know what you think about my list and what you would include in your own list in the comments.

1) Strong showings off the field from the USL expansion teams
More important than grinding out tough away results in my opinion, is the ability of the two USL-Pro expansion cities to establish themselves at home.  This isn’t just getting wins against weaker teams, but doing the marketing and community work to draw in big crowds.  Phoenix FC has already been doing some of this legwork and feel confident about their prospects for success off the field.

According to an article on Our Sports Central, more than 500 season ticket deposits have been collected for Phoenix FC’s first season.  AZ Kicks It reported that the club, “expects to sell out every game but [club president Tim Thomas] said 3,500+ per game would be great”

A turnout of 3,500 would squarely situate the Phoenix franchise in the top half of attendance in the league.  Based on my numbers for the 2012 campaign, that attendance would rank the Phoenix FC Wolves around fifth in the USL-Pro in terms of attendance.

VSI Tampa Bay faces a different set of challenges.  They have a network of youth teams and leagues in the community, but may struggle for turnout.  The team plans to play at the JC Handly Sports Complex in Brandon, Florida, but could find themselves competing for fans in the heart of Tampa with the Tampa Bay Rowdies of NASL located in nearby St Petersburg.

Both of these teams need to perform well off the field to show the viability of the USL-Pro business model.  If these teams bounce games around venues like LA Blues, Dayton Dutch Lions, and Charlotte Eagles did in 2012 or if they replicate those teams’ attendance numbers (well under 1000 each) professional soccer in Phoenix or east Tampa might be fleeting.

2) New York Cosmos and Puerto Rico Islanders join NASL for their fall season
When NASL released the announcement in early September that the 2013 season would be split into two short tournaments, similar to much of Latin America, there was one question resounding from lower division soccer fans around the country: why?

“Our Scheduling Sub-Committee arrived at this recommendation after an exhaustive review of a number of alternatives,” said NASL Commissioner David Downs, “and the new format takes into consideration a variety of factors including fan and player comfort in our many warm-weather cities.”  “But the bottom line,” Downs added, “is that we believe this new competitive format will bring more excitement and meaning to each of our regular season matches for all of our teams throughout the year.”

Apparently the interests of the many warm-weather cities beat out the cold weather teams like Minnesota, Vancouver and 2014′s Ottawa.  Perhaps this announcement was also made with the knowledge (or hunch) that the Cosmos would not be ready for the spring kick-off.  Brian Quarstad of IMSoccer reported December 2 that the Cosmos will skip the spring tournament as well as the U.S. Open Cup.

Due to potential changes in Puerto Rico’s government policy, funding of the Islanders is uncertain for 2013 and onward.  Neil Morris of IndyWeek reported December 21 that the Islanders will miss the spring tournament but that the league expects the team to participate in the fall tournament in 2013.  This leaves only 7 teams in the spring and either 8 or 9 teams in the fall.

Though in different realms, both of these franchises have a rich soccer history.  With the NASL trying to establish a legitimacy above USL, two teams stuttering off the field (one before they had even started) could challenge the league’s hopes.  On the other hand, taking a half-season off could provide the stability necessary for long-term success for both the individual teams and the league as a whole.

3. Continued positive performances in the U.S. Open Cup
The 2012 edition of the Cup saw three USL-Pro clubs reach the quarterfinals.  Lower division teams beat MLS clubs in 9 matches, 4 by USL-Pro teams and 3 by NASL teams.  While the format for this year’s tournament is not yet set in stone, it should be similar to last year’s with all the professional teams in the county participating.  However, there are two more domestic based USL-Pro clubs to incorporate into the cup this year so things could be a little different.

Regardless of whether all USL-Pro clubs take part in the U.S. Open Cup, upsets make the competition more interesting.  The cup draws attention to the lower leagues of soccer in the U.S. and amateur side Cal FC’s Cinderella run to the Fourth Round brought an appearance on Fox Soccer Channel.  If the 2013 Cup brings more interest in USL-Pro and NASL among MLS fans or more televised cup matches, it would be a good year for American soccer.

These may seem like tame requests for a wishlist.  After all I’m only asking that the new USL-Pro teams perform better off the field than the worst organizations in that league, that NASL not lose or postpone its teams, and that clubs from these two leagues kick off a cup fever for American soccer fans.  My hopes would go far to provide stability and spark interest in leagues that need both.  Even if these things aren’t in the cards for 2013, there will still be a lot of news, excitement, and speculation in lower division soccer in this country.

The Rumors of MLS-USL Collaboration

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Jason Davis of NASN.tv reported today that USL (United Soccer Leagues) and MLS (Major League Soccer) have reached an agreement over creating a viable third division of soccer in the U.S. that would double as the reserve league for MLS clubs.

The details as understood are:

1. If an MLS city has a USLPRO team nearby, MLS will provide 5 players and pay their salary.

2. If there’s no USLPRO team, the MLS reserve side will become a new, permanent team in USLPRO.

3. All USLPRO teams will have an MLS affiliate.

I have a few initial thoughts on this arrangement but I’ll reserve full judgment until the details pan out.

Pros:

  • This would obviously mean more teams in USL-Pro which could lead to geographic scheduling system in which teams play a bulk of their games against teams in relative proximity (ie: Rochester playing New England, Montreal, New York, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Dayton).
  • USL-Pro becomes an established cornerstone of the MLS system, thereby reducing the chances the league would fold if some teams become insolvent.
  • This system would provide the game minutes and competitive atmosphere for the meaningful development of young players.  There have been several notable success stories for players loaned from MLS to USL-Pro, first among them Bright Dike.
  • There could be an interest around the league to see the next young stars of MLS.  This affect could be doubled if more MLS sides sign youth national team players like Luis Gil and Mobi Fehr.  For clubs struggling to establish themselves, this could be a draw to stabilize attendances.

Cons:

  • USL-Pro loses some prestige despite ensuring its continued survival.  USL’s Professional Division might not be strictly professional anymore.  And certainly if the league is the equivalent of a reserve division, they must stop using the quote “USL PRO is the strongest, best operated and most experienced North American men’s professional soccer league below MLS, both on and off the field.”
  • USL-Pro will become a development league instead of a place for experienced professional players.  Think about the Rhinos: Would Krystian Nicht or George Kyriazis want to come to the United States to play in a glorified reserve league?  The former MLS players who play in USL and NASL have been some of (if not a majority of) the most exciting players on the field; though there are certainly exceptions.
  • Similarly, teams who have professional ambitions may want to leave USL-Pro for NASL.  USL teams (or fans) without clear links to an MLS club may not be too interested in merely borrowing young players from MLS for a year at a time.
  • Many MLS teams use their reserve league team to tryout potential signings in their system.  It wouldn’t be possible in a professionalized league for a team to use an unregistered player in matches.

Questions/Concerns/Complications:

  • Recent changes to the NCAA rules with regard to players being paid (which made it possible for some USL-Premier Development League teams to play their players) would not cover all of the features of the reserve league.  For example, the rule change allowed teams who didn’t pay their players to play against teams who did.  The players on an amateur PDL team (which didn’t pay salaries) would maintain their NCAA eligibility despite playing against professional PDL teams in the same division.  However, this change does not mean that (to the best of my knowledge) a single team could pay some players and not pay college aged players hoping to keep their eligibility.  So for rising academy products like Rochester’s Jordan Allen playing with the Real Salt Lake academy team in Arizona, they might have to choose between maintaining the option of NCAA ball or going professional early to play on the reserve side.
  • How close is “nearby”?  Harrisburg City Islanders and Philadelphia Union (about two hours apart) have an affiliation deal in which four Union players were loaned to the USL side in 2012.  Columbus has loaned a player to Dayton Dutch Lions, about an hour away.  But on the other side, Portland Timbers loaned forward Bright Dike to L.A. Blues who were the closest USL club despite a distance of 1000 miles.
  • How are teams paired up?  The release by Davis said that every USL team will an MLS affiliate.  There are 19 MLS clubs and only 13 in USL-Pro, including one in Antigua and Barbuda.  If Antigua Barracuda FC is included in this deal, it will be interesting to see which MLS teams gets stuck supplying players to the Antigua national team based side.  Also, which of the Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA get a deal with the LA Blues of USL?
  • I’ve said before that this country needs to have a restructuring of developmental soccer and that a good first move would be a national u-21, u-22, or u-23 league.  This arrangement would be a step towards the establishment of such a league, however a distinction will become apparent.  There will be a divide between current USL teams that are interested in developing players for MLS (Harrisburg, for example) and teams that have professional ambitions of their own (like Orlando City now and Rochester of old).  Eventually, if this report is true, the divide that exists in third division of Mexico (called la Segunda Division) between professional clubs and developmental clubs will play itself out in the U.S.
  • The details of the the contracts and the specifics of each loan arrangement for the USL-Pro teams receiving 5 players from MLS teams will be very important.  If a player on loan from an MLS team is performing very well and there is a lack of depth due to injury at that MLS side, will they be able to recall that player’s loan prematurely?  Surely a team competing for their own championship would not want to let go of an in-form asset to his parent club.
  • What will happen to current PDL teams belonging to MLS clubs?  Portland Timbers, Seattle Sounders, Chicago Fire and Vancouver Whitecaps operated u-23 teams in the Premier Development League in 2012 while D.C. United will enter a team in 2013.
  • Will full reserve sides of MLS teams be able to compete in the U.S. Open Cup?  For example, Portland Timbers u-23 and Seattle Sounders u-23 are both participating in the 2013 edition of the U.S. Open Cup, according to this report by Josh Hakala.  If these teams are promoted will they participate starting in 2014 when full implementation of the purported plan begins?  Or, in the case that current PDL teams are not “promoted” into USL-Pro, will the new full reserve sides for teams without nearby USL clubs be able to participate in the cup?

This salaciously brief report raises more questions than it answers, but has sparked interest in the USL.  No matter which side of the argument you fall under, this is certainly an exciting offseason for lower division soccer in the United States.

Reconciling the Rivalry Between NASL and USL-Pro?

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If you’re new to following soccer in the United States, you may not be aware of the mini soccer war waged in 2009 and 2010 between two camps of clubs from the United States Leagues.  If you have been following minor league soccer in this country for a few years, you are probably all too familiar with this story.  The institutional bickering between the new NASL and USL-Pro has also inspired widespread calls for a centrally led league structure (not just from naive kids like me).

Throughout the history of American soccer, there is a well documented pattern of failure of independently organized leagues. [If you fancy, you can read about the historical "Soccer War" from Slate.com by clicking this bad boy]  In fact, the only relatively successful national league in American history is Major League Soccer, which is operated in close connection with the United States Soccer Federation and the United States National Team.

It may present as appalling to the American independent entrepreneurial spirit, or some other load of malarkey, but it is very much in the best interests of the soccer in America for one centralized body to operate what are now separate leagues throughout the country.

A Simple Anecdote for a Complex Situation
This past summer, my friends routinely asked me what league the Rochester Rhinos played in and what separated the Rhinos from MLS.  When I spoke about USL-Pro and NASL they just didn’t get it.  Without knowing any of the background information on the TOA owners’ split in 2009-2010, it was simple math for my friends.  Take the 8 teams in NASL and add the 11 teams from USL-Pro and then an expansion team and there is a balanced 20 team league. Continue reading →